Workers are told to STAY HOME amid commuter chaos with trains and ferries cancelled, roads closed and traffic lights out after the biggest downpour in 30 years
- Sydney was deluged with 400mm of rain - two months' worth - over the weekend, the wettest since 1990
- SES urged drivers to avoid travel if they can while crews work to clear roads that have been covered in debris
- Sydney's train network was plunged into chaos as a landslip significantly delayed peak-hour services
- More than 50 schools across NSW are closed on Monday as a result of the floods following record rainfall
Sydney commuters heading to work this morning are facing flooded roads, a public transport system in chaos and a wave of school closures after the city was battered by its biggest downpour in 30 years.
The record-setting rainfall this weekend - which brought as much as 400mm to some parts of New South Wales - has closed dozens of roads due to flooding as well as downed trees and powerlines.
Greater Sydney's normal rainfall for the whole of February is only 117mm.
The weather has caused major disruptions to Sydney's public transport system and road networks commuters are being told to check timetables and travels apps before heading out - while the State Emergency Services have urged workers to stay home.
'It is inherently dangerous to be driving through water,' SES Assistant Commissioner Paul Bailey told the ABC on Monday morning.
'There will be areas of water, especially people driving in the Sydney area, driving to work. On those kerbside lanes, there's still lots of water in the areas that hasn't gone away.
'So, we are asking people to be very careful as they drive to work. And this might be one of the days that, if you can work from home, that would be a good way to do it.'
The warning comes as police respond to reports a car was swept off a causeway in Galston, in Sydney's Hornsby District on Sunday, with fears a passenger was in the vehicle at the time.

Big wet hits Sydney: Commuters are facing chaos getting to work on Monday morning after the city was battered with its biggest downpour since 1990

Commuters have been warned to expect major delays on Monday morning as public transport has been struggling to cope with the deluge. Pictured: Chaos at Strathfield

The wet weather has caused major disruptions to Sydney's public transport system - after rainfall caused heavy erosion under railway tracks at Artarmon on the lower north shore. Pictured: Wentworthville on Monday morning

Frustrated commuters took to social media to share photos of Monday's commute. Pictured: Crowded platforms at Campbelltown

Marrickville, in Sydney's inner-west, was inundated as parts of NSW were hit with as much as 400mm of rain since Friday

Beach erosion is seen at Collaroy on the Northern Beaches on Monday in Sydney. Homes were evacuated after a landslip at Bayview

The Sydney area experienced its wettest weekend in more than 20 years, with strong winds and torrential rain causing flash flooding across the city

The Bureau of Meteorology is reporting the biggest rainfall in Sydney since February 1990
The silver Mercedes was reported to have been washed away by floodwaters on Sallaway Road at Galston between 4.30pm and 5pm on Sunday.
Police Divers and specialist officers from the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit attended to assist but were unable to complete a full underwater search due to the conditions.
Another search operation will be conducted as soon as conditions ease.
Meanwhile, Sydney's train network was plunged into chaos as a landslip significantly delayed peak-hour services.
Thousands of commuters have been stranded after the rainfall caused heavy erosion under railway tracks at Artarmon on the lower north shore on Monday morning.
Consequently, trains on the T1 north shore line were heavily delayed, with buses replacing trains between Gordon and North Sydney shortly after 6am.
Train services resumed after 7.30am but were very slow.
The chaos worsened as commuters at the Hornsby junction line, waiting for an alternative T9 northern line service, were stranded for more than half an hour without a train to the city.
A Central-bound service via Strathfield was repeatedly delayed at 7.40am with a train driver telling commuters over a loud speaker he didn't know where the train was going.
The confusion worsened with commuters told the train would instead be heading north to Berowra instead of the city.
It took another 25 minutes for a city-bound train to arrive.
Daily Mail Australia saw commuters stranded on an overcrowded platform three for more than half an hour waiting for a train.

A woman and her dog watch rough ocean conditions at Bronte Beach in Sydney, Monday after the area was hit with more than 400mm of rain

A severe weather warning for very heavy rain, damaging winds, abnormally high tides and damaging surf is in place for the entire NSW coast. Pictured: Large swells at Bronte Beach

Beach erosion is seen at Collaroy on the Northern Beaches as a high tide and large waves impact the coast

The Sydney basin has seen the heaviest rainfall in about 20 years in the past few days as communities were hammered by an East Coast Low that also brought strong winds. Pictured: Flooded roads in Narrabeen in Sydney's Northern Beaches

Residents near the Narrabeen Lagoon in northern Sydney evacuated overnight after being told flooding in the area was likely to be worse than the damaging flood of 2016. Pictured: Residents travelling by canoe as floodwater rise in Narrabeen

Strong winds uprooted trees during the severe storms. A motorist in Concord woke to some heartbreaking news after a massive tree slammed into the front of their

A car is seen under floodwater at Marrickville in Sydney on Sunday after the massive downpour over the weekend

A motorists makes a risky move by attempting to make their way through murky water after the road began to resemble a river in Sydney

The heaviest rain to hit Sydney in 30 years caused major flooding across the city. Pictured is a flooded carport in Westmead

Commuters were warned to check timetables and travels apps before setting out on Monday morning as trains and bus lines face delays. Pictured: Central Station on Monday morning
The State Emergency Service urged motorists to avoid travel if they can while crews work to clear roads that have been covered in debris.
Commuters have been told to catch buses when travelling between Manly and Circular Quay as ferries have been cancelled due to large swells, Ferries Sydney advised.
Those travelling on the Sydney Metro between Macquarie Park and Chatswood will have to take replacement buses instead.
Sunday's train service suspensions included the Chatswood to North Ryde Metro service, as well as closures between Lidcombe and Olympic Park.
The wild weather caused a two-metre landslide on train tracks in Leura, cutting the Blue Mountains train line.
In nearby Blackheath, a tree fell on overhead wiring on the train track. The wiring damage saw services between Katoomba and Mount Victoria cancelled.
Replacement buses and train services from Katoomba to Sydney have been provided but with major delays expected.
Dozens of ferries were cancelled too as Sydney Ferries suspended the popular Manly to Circular Quay route and buses replaced ferries between Parramatta and Rydalmere.
The closure came as the wharf in Parramatta was overcome by floodwaters, with the level of the suburb's river surging during the rainstorm.

Sydney's T8 line between Turrella and Kingsgrove have been suspended due to severe flooding. Pictured: Bardwell Park

Long queues formed at Strathfield Station on Monday morning as Sydney train lines are faced with delays or suspensions

The wild weather caused a two-metre landslide on train tracks in Leura, cutting the Blue Mountains train line

Railway tracks were pictured suspended in mid-air in the Blue Mountains on Sunday following a landslip. Transport NSW have advised commuters to delay travel or allow 'plenty of travel time' to get where they need to go on Monday morning
The downpour marked the biggest the area has seen since 1990, when the city was hit with 414.2mm of rain over a four-day period.
Utility companies are rushing to restore power in swamped regions, with more than 110,000 Ausgrid customers - primarily in northern Sydney and the NSW Central Coast - without power on Monday morning.
'The strong rains and wind have caused more than 3,000 hazards to the electricity network such as fallen power poles, large trees across roads, damaged wires and extensive flash flooding,' Ausgrid said in a statement.
Endeavour Energy has more than 19,000 customers without power.
The NSW SES has responded to about 10,000 calls for help and carried out multiple rescues of people trapped by rising rivers and floodwaters.
'People need to be reminded - if you can't see the road, don't drive across it,' NSW Emergency Services Minister David Elliott said.

Waves crashed over the footpath at Fairy Bower in Manly on Sydney's northern beaches on Sunday
More than 50 schools are closed across Sydney and the surrounding regions due to the floods.
The closures range from Penrith in the far west to Wyong on the Central Coast and Narrabeen on the northern beaches.
Major flooding was inundating Milperra and Liverpool in western Sydney in the early hours of Monday, the NSW State Emergency Service said.
There are concerns the Georges River at Milperra could reach levels higher than 1988's flood.
Residents near the Narrabeen Lagoon in northern Sydney have also been urged to leave, with flooding in that area likely to be worse than the damaging flood of 2016.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast more severe weather conditions on Monday with heavy rains, strong winds and damaging surf possible along the state's entire coast.
Torrential rain could create potentially deadly flash floods in Sydney, Illawarra and the Central Tablelands, the bureau warned.
Rainfall over the weekend was the heaviest in about 20 years after the Sydney basin was hammered by an East Coast Low that also brought strong winds.
Four people were also rushed to hospital after their taxi was crushed by a falling tree in the CBD when it landed across the road opposite Hyde Park.
A 16-year-old boy was meanwhile taken to hospital with suspected broken ribs after he was trapped between debris in waist-deep water for two hours in the Hunter region on Sunday morning.
The Bureau of Meteorology said Sydneysiders may have faced the worst of the winds by Monday - which grew to speeds of 107km/h off the coast of Sydney.
Stormy conditions will tail off, although in Sydney and the Wollongong and Newcastle regions rain is still very likely until Thursday.
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